Masquerade, carnival, or party mask



Nov. 18, 1941. F, Es AR- 2,262,993

MASQUERADE,- CARNY EVAL, OR PARTY MASK Filed Dec. 15, 1939 2 Shets-Sheet 1 I I I INVENTOR; as five)? A7772 M5655 ari,

I KM g Q/wm ATTORNEY- Nov. 18, 1941. F. M. DESSART MASQUERADE, CARNIVAL, OR PARTY MASK Filed Dec. 13, 1959 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR; Franz Mflessa 2'1 X BY 63 Patented Nov. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 2,262,993 MASQUERADE, CARNIVAL, on PARTY MASK Franklyn M. Dessart, New York, N. Y.

Application December 13, 1939, Serial No. 308,975

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to means for making simulations of faces and masks and more particularly to improvements in toy sets or kits comprising flat cut-outs of various outlines or contours, whereby the cut-outs may be assembled from the kit of furnished contoured outlined forms, to obtain many and varied grotesque masks, which may be developed substantially at the whim of the user. This kit may be used by children of kindergarten age or older persons, and may be made of vari-colored paper or similar material.

In effect, the present device may include main face shaped blanks having certain standard cuts or slits, so that the main blank may receive and hold other main blanks and sub-blanks of varying contours or outlines, thereby to build, by assembly, various grotesque faces. The main blank is reversible, and may also be turned upside down in reversed positions to obtain, by reason of its slittings various modified assemblies, to the end that manifold grotesque assemblies, may be constructed, or disassembled, for other assembled combinations.

One object of the invention is to provide improved face blanks whereby very striking effects may be easily and cheaply obtained.

Other objects are to provide appliques adapted to be easily applied to contoured face masks for representing hair, ears and other features.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a set of variously colored and shaped main and sub-blanks and appliques, which may be assembled in different combinations to provide a wide variety of faces of Widely differing appearance.

Additional objects of the invention are to effect variety with simplicity and individuality in such faces and blanks and to provide an extremely simple kit or collection of this kind from which may be made faces of striking and individual appearance, from blanks which are economical to manufacture and sell.

Still other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds; and while herein details of the invention are described in the specification and some of the claims, the invention as described in the broader claims is not limited to these, and many and various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed in the broader claims.

The inventive features for the accomplishment of these and other objects are shown herein in connection with kit or set of blanks, which briefly stated, includes a variety of contrasting main blanks of front face outline, and subblanks adapted to be interengaged to form a variety of faces or masks. Each main blank is cut to provide a nose flap, and at each end part an end slit, and eye-cuts between each slit and the nose cut, and mouth or brow slits between each end slit and the eye-cuts. The main blanks are superposable in pairs with an end part of each blank inserted in an end or mouth slit of the other blank, whereby the upper part of a rear blank may simulate hair for the other blank.

Sub-blanks are provided having ear lobes insertable through side s'lits of a main blank, and projections insertable through brow or mouth slits to simulate brows, tongues, or teeth. Each sub-blank has one or more middle slits to re-. ceive the nose flap to provide contrast for the nose, thus to provide a complete assembly forming a face or mask.

Various appliques simulating lips, moustaches, plumes andthe like are adapted to be adhered to any blank as desired; and appliques simulating hats and caps have slits adapted to receive the top margins of the main blank whereby to support the applique.

In the accompanying drawings showing, b Way of example, many of many possible embodiments of the invention,

Figs. 1 to 4 are face views of different styles of main blanks;

Figs. 5, 6, '7, 13 and 15 are face views of appliques adapted to be adhered to the main or sub-blanks to complete the face or mask;

Figs. 11 and 12 are face views of sub-blanks; and

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are additional blanks or appliques slitted to receive margins of other blanks;

Figs. 16 and 17 are face views of assembled masks or faces;

Fig. 18 is a sectional view taken on the line l8--I8 of Fig. 16;

Fig. 19 shows a section taken on the line l9l9 of Fig. 16.

A kit or set of the blanks comprises a wide variety of main blanks and sub-blanks, four main blanks Illa, [0b, lllc and lOdi, and two sub-blanks I la and Ill), being shown by way of example. The blanks and sub-blanks are made of flat or embossed plain or ornamented pap-er, fabric or other suitable material and are of various shapes and contrasting colors and provided with slits and cuts whereby they are adapted to be superposed and interengaged, and if desired may be adhered together with inconspicuous non-transe,

ferring mucilage, in many combinations to form a wide variety of simulated faces, or masks.

The main blanks are reversible superposable and are of substantially oval front-face outline, larger at one end than at the other, either end simulating the chin or forehead. Each main blank is provided at its mid part with a nose cut I2 simulating the outline of the sides and bottom or top of the nose, and leaving a nose flexible flap [3 adapted to be bent or folded inwardly' or outwardly. Each main blank. has at each end part a transverse end slit such as a slit [5, l5a, I517, or I50 adapted to receive either end of another blank superposed thereon as-in Fig. 16.

Each blank has between each slit and the nosecut a pair of sets of concentric larger and smaller arcuate eye cuts HS,- IGd, lBe, the larger and smaller cuts respectively simulating the outline of the eye and pupil leaving between the slits an arcuate strip ll, PM or We anchored at both ends, and a rounded projection l8, either or both being adapted to be folded inward to leave a cut-out simulating the white of the eye and/or the pupil, or the projection or strip may simulate the pupil or white. The blanks Illa, lllb are provided at one or both ends between the transverse end slit and the eye cuts with eyebrow cuts 20, and the blanks illb, lilc, id have one 'or more pairs of parallel curved mouth slits 2|b', 2Ic, simulating lip or eye-brow outlines. Ear slits 22 and various other side cuts 24 and face cuts.25 are provided each side of each main blank for purposes to be explained.

Said main blanks are superposable in a large variety of ways. the front blank may be inserted in an end slit (as in Fig. 16) or a mouth slit of the rear blank, whereby the exposed part of the rear blank may simulate head hair or beard; and the end part of the rear blank being insertable through the lower end slit, to simulate a beard, as at 26 of Fig. 16;0r through an upper end slit to simulate hair or through one mouth slit and frontward of the other mouth slit to simulate the tongue or mouth.

Fig. 11 shows a sub-blank Ila adapted to be received behind a single main blank or behind the superposed main blanks or therebetween as in Fig. 16, and has ears 21a or side lobes adapted to be projected through the ear slits to simulate ears of the face; and margins of the sub-blank may be inserted through side slits to simulate paint marks on the check. The straps ll of Fig. 16 may be folded back to allow the sub-blank to show through to simulate cheek paint. The subblank Ila has upper and lower horns or projections 29, 30, 3| insertable through an upper mouth or brow slit to form eye-brows (Fig. 16) or through a lowerv mouth slit to simulate tongues or teeth or more fanciful simulations, or through upper side cuts 24 (Fig. 2) to form horns.

The sub-blank l la has horizontal slits 34, 35 adapted to receive the nose flap, as in Fig. 16, to expose the sub-blank to simulate a painted nose, or whereby when main blanks are superposed in registration, the slits 34, 35 of the subblank may be received on the unexposed registering blank to simulate hair. An ear 21a or 21b of either sub-blank is insertable through a mouth or end slit to simulate a tongue.

The sub-blank llb may be used as a front sub-blank disposable-frontward of a main blank Illa, for instance, as in Fig. 1'7 with the ears 21b inserted through the side slits 22, lower projections 40 inserted in the lower brow slits '20, a

For instance, an end part of shown in Fig. 17.

transverse slit 34b to receive the nose flap l3 to expose the latter, and eye cut-outs 4l exposing the main blank, thus to simulate the face of apes or the like. The eye-brow projections 42 are inserted a short distance into the upper brow slits 20.

Appliques simulating lips 45, 45, moustaches 46, plumes 47, feathers 48 and the like are adapted to be adhered to any blank in any desired location as desired; and appliques simulating hats 50, 50' and caps 5|, 5| having slits 52 adapted to receive the top or edge of any main blank as While only two assembled faces are shown herein; but it is understood that a wide variety of symmetrical or asymmetrical assemblies may be made, as practically any of the slits may receive any parts or projections of other blanks. As shown in Fig. 16, the outer main blank lOb is superposed on the inner main blank I00 with an end part of each blank inserted in an end slit of another blank so as to produce simulation of hair as at 55 and a beard at 26. The subblank Ila between the main blanks has the ear lobes 21a. inserted from the rear outwardly through the side slits 22. The nose flap l3 may be folded back or received in a middle slit 34 or 35 to expose the sub-blank at the nose to simulate a painted nose. The horns 30 inserted through the brow slits 20 simulate brows, and the horns 3| inserted through a mouth slit may simulate a split tongue.

In Fig. 1'7 the sub-blank l lb of contrasting color is on the front face of the main blank and has the ear lobes 21b inserted from the front through the side slits 22. This sub-blank has eye cut-outs 4| exposing the mainblank, and upper brow projections 42 inserted a short distance from the front through brow slits 20. The middle slit 34b receives and exposes the nose flap E3. The lower projections 40 are inserted into the lower brow slits 20, which here become'cheek slits.

Various of the slits, for instance, the slits l5, l5a, I51), I50, l6, IBd, I66, and other slits as shown and that could be added, arranged at key locations may be folded in or out for exposing the under paper color to give various expression lines, the use of which alters the character of the face and makes possible different expressions of the same face.

Any or all of the parts including blanks, subblanks and appliques may be provided plain or uncolored, or they may be provided with printed outline, any of which children may color with any desired crayon, water-color or other material. Plain or colored sheets of paper or cardboard may be provided with these parts printed thereon and adapted to be cut out by the user for later use as described. In addition to, or instead of the contrasting colors as above described, the parts may have various expression lines and other features printed thereon to be used With or without further applied color.

The invention claimed is:

1. A, kit for forming face masks and kindergarten toys including 'a plurality of main blanks of sheet materialeach having one wide and one narrow end, eachmain blank having certain slits therein, each blank having one of its slitslocated at the wide end and adapted to receive the narrow end of a second blank one slit of each blank being located substantially at the center of the blank to form a nose tab, a pair of the slits of each blank being located at opposite sides of the nose tab adjacent the sides of the blank,

a pair of said slits in each blank forming mouth slits located between the nose tab and one end of the blank, each blank having a pair of diagonal slits adjacent the ends of the mouth slits, said kit further including a plurality of difierently formed secondary blanks each having a pair of ear forming projections at its ends adapted to extend through the first mentioned pair of slits of each main blank and being of suificient length to extend beyond the sides of the main blank, said secondary blanks each having a slit for receiving the nose tab of a main blank, and other blanks for mouth shapes and the like provided with ends adapted to pass through the last mentioned pair of slits in each main blank.

2. The kit of claim 1 wherein the main blanks are each provided with pairs of parallel arcuate slits providing arcuate eye tabs and the secondary blanks are provided with extensions adapted to underlie the openings formed by the eye tabs.

3. The kit of claim 1 wherein at least one of the secondary blanks is adapted to be used with either side edge facing the adjacent end of the main blank and has differently arranged tongue portions on the respective side edge for projection through the mouth slit.

4. In a kit for forming face masks and kindergarten toys, a plurality of main blanks of sheet material each having one wide and one narrow end, each main blank having a slit at its wide end formed to receive the narrow end of a second blank whereby the narrow ends of a pair of the blanks may be interlocked with the wide ends of said pair, said blanks further having similarly disposed slits throughout their areas, and a plurality of auxiliary blanks provided with projecting portions engaging the main blanks at the last mentioned slits.

FRANKLYN M. DESSART. 

